Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Martin brings 'championship tone'

Kevin Martin didn't realize how mediocre his NBA experience was until last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The new Timberwolves shooting guard had played on competitive teams in Houston and Sacramento, but an organization with an NBA-Finals-or-bust attitude was uncharted territory.

"It's just a special atmosphere when your team has a championship tone in that locker room," Martin said in a conference call Saturday afternoon. "That's one thing I feel like I bring."

Martin ended up with the Thunder last year after the Rockets made him part of a trade for superstar James Harden. Because of salary and luxury cap restrictions, it was unlikely Oklahoma City could have afforded Martin's return this season. The Wolves swooped in for a sign-and-trade deal that was made official July 11.

"Outside of OKC, Minnesota was definitely at the top," Martin said. "I was very happy that it all worked out."

The 6-foot-7 Martin spoke of a potential deep playoff run this season in Minneapolis, but the team has to get to the postseason first. This will be the 10th season since Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell led the Wolves to the Western Conference finals in 2004, and Minnesota has yet to get back to the playoffs.

To do so, they need Martin to contribute in a big way. He is a pure scorer, something the Wolves have lacked for much of their existence. His 17.8-point career scoring average is the best on the Minnesota roster, just higher than Kevin Love's 17.

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3, and he expects to improve on the 14.0 points per game he scored last year while playing third fiddle to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

"I felt like I got a year off from taking that kind of beating," Martin said of his minimized role. "Right now, I feel great. I'm still in the middle of the prime of my career."

Much of that career has been spent with Wolves coach Rick Adelman. The 30-year-old has 3-1/2 seasons of experience in Adelman's offense, as the two were paired in Sacramento from 2004 to 2006 and Houston during part of the 2009-2010 season and the full 2010-2011 season.

Martin called Adelman and general manager Flip Saunders "two great basketball minds" and said he is excited to jump back into the system he started his career with.

"(Adelman) is known as a player's coach," Martin said. "If you buy into his system, I don't see how you can't have success. He gives you the freedom to do what you need to do personally to be successful."

Though Saunders has made plenty of moves this offseason, the big question mark continues to be the defense. How will all of these offensive players stack up on the other side of the ball?

Martin coined his defensive role thusly: "Don't hurt the team."

He'll mostly be focusing on scoring and providing the winning mentality that has eluded the Timberwolves for nearly a decade.

"At the end of the day," Martin said, "I made my decision to go to Minnesota, and I feel like it's a great one."

Briefly

Martin mentioned he has been working out in Tampa, Fla., with fellow Wolves acquisition Corey Brewer. "He came a long way since Day One," Martin said. "I remember when he first got drafted to Minnesota. And then over the years, you can tell he's matured. He understands what this league is about, and how he needs to approach it. When I heard we had a chance to get him, I was really excited."